A Brief History of the Wharton Follies
“A revue with songs, skits and elaborate costuming.” This is the dictionary definition of Follies. At Wharton, the Follies means far more, representing a beloved 33 year tradition.
Early Beginnings
The Follies’ roots lie in early theatrical productions organized by Charlie Seymour, WG’75. Seymour brought out the creative flair of his Wharton classmates, ensuring that students never succumbed to the temptation of all work and no play. As a student, Seymour worked with the Wharton administration to create an independent major in arts management. He and classmate Larry Wilson produced a string of theatrical productions at Houston hall, International House, and Annenberg’s Prince Theater titled “The Fantasticks”, “Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris”, and “Company”. These early campus plays were a precursor to the Wharton Follies, which began the year after Seymour and Wilson graduated and have continued ever since.
The First and Still the Best
The first Follies show, titled “A Placement Line”, was a resounding success. Subsequent generations of MBA students have strutted their stuff in obligatory camp costumes on stage in an extravaganza of music, song, and comedy. Entirely written, produced and performed by MBA students, the Follies has developed a rich tradition of exposing the comic side of business school and corporate life.
From the Dean Down: Faculty and Follies
No Follies performance would be complete without guest appearances from the Wharton faculty and administration. Dean Patrick Harker dazzled as a “rock-star superhero” in 2001 and as the Captain of the “Starship Huntsman” in 2003. Vice Dean Anjani Jain, former Director of Admissions Rose Martinelli, Vice Dean Peggy Bishop Lane, Kembral Jones and professors Mike Useem, Franklin Allen, Ed George, Eric Clemons, and Alex Edmuns have all enchanted the audience in a variety of roles.
Today
Wharton Follies is both one of the largest clubs and highest profile organizations within Wharton, staging one of the largest productions of its kind at any professional school. Over the years, Follies has been transformed into a Broadway-level production boasting a six-figure budget and with successive producers and directors building on their predecessor’s accomplishments. In 2004, for the first time in Follies history, all four performances were staged in professional theatres: The Zellerbach Theatre in Penn’s Annenberg Center, and the Tribeca Performing Arts Theatre in New York.
In 2009 more than one hundred students and partners and four faculty and administration entertained more than two thousand MBA’s, alumni and prospective students. From “A Placement Line” in 1977 to “The Trojan Wharton: A Comedy about a Financial Tragedy” in 2008, Follies has repeatedly redefined the boundaries of bad taste in music and laughter for 33 years of Wharton MBA History.
